Doug Marrone will be tempted to go back to Nick Foles at quarterback after the bye, but it’s better for the Jaguars’ future to stick with Gardner Minshew.
The Jaguars gave Nick Foles a big contract to be their franchise quarterback this offseason, but his collarbone injury opened the door for Gardner Minshew to take his job. The rookie quarterback has done enough to keep the veteran on the bench for the foreseeable future.
Foles should be ready to rejoin the active roster after Jacksonville’s upcoming bye. That’s led to a lot of speculation that the former Eagle will go right back into the starting lineup for head coach Doug Marrone. For what it’s worth, the Jaguars’ head man claims he hasn’t made any decision about who will be the team’s starter moving forward.
To Marrone’s credit, he wants to take some time to make such an important decision. He recently told reporters that he’ll take at least 48 hours before making his selection. In theory, that will allow the memory of Minshew’s ugly performance against the Texans in London to fade from his head coach’s memory.
The right move for the Jaguars franchise is to stick with the rookie. Foles is an established commodity in the NFL. He’s capable of going on runs of brilliant football for relatively brief stretches of time. That’s not what Jacksonville needs to build a legitimate playoff contender. They need a quarterback they can trust to play above average football for a full 16-game slate.
Minshew has shone enough in relief of Foles to earn an opportunity to prove that he can be that guy. He may have thrown two picks against Houston, but that only raises his season total to four interceptions in nine games. It’s clear he has the mental acumen to protect the football against complex NFL defenses.
The former Washington State standout doesn’t have great arm strength, but he makes up for it with his ability to throw the ball with exceptional accuracy. That’s why he’s been able to complete over 61% of his passes this season despite a lack of exceptional talent at wide receiver to help him. His ability to put the ball on the numbers to help his receivers produce yards after the catch is a big reason why he’s thrown 13 touchdowns on the year.
The upside of Minshew stepping up and becoming the team’s starting quarterback should be the tipping point in this quarterback controversy. If he can play the position at a high level, the Jaguars front office can devote more cap space to surrounding him with talent. Having a cheap quarterback is a great way to quickly build an NFL contender.
Foles didn’t do anything wrong to lose the job in Jacksonville, but he should lose it nonetheless. Sticking with Minshew is the right move for a franchise that needs to be building for the long haul. He gives the team more upside than Foles can at this point in their respective careers.